The Riddlead: Visiting Grindelwald
by turayza
Summary: Tom Riddle leaves Hogwarts to follow a prophecy, and goes to Grindelwald. A school assignment.


_A/N: Hey! I'm sorry I haven't updated in...just about forever. Lots of school stuff came up, and the other story doesn't call to me...at all. o.o' Anyways, this was a school project. The prompt was to write a story of your own using the style of The Aeneid by Virgil. To tell you the truth, I'm only posting this because my friends bothered me to. XP If you think I should contine/extend/write a prequel to it, I'll do that. Though not in poetry format...iambic pentameter is evil. ' Anyways, tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. _

The Riddlead

Attributed to Antonin Dolohov

Period 5-6 LA/SS

23 May 2008

Disclaimer: I, "Antonin Dolohov", do not own any of the characters, spells or locations mentioned below. They belong to J.K. Rowling, and the plot belongs to Virgil. There is no copyright infringement intended.

Chapter Summary:

In this book, Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as the Dark Lord or Lord Voldemort, is followed through his journey to Grindelwald (the reigning Dark Lord of his time) before Dumbledore kills Grindelwald. At this time, Riddle has just graduated from Hogwarts and faces the world as a homeless, jobless wizard who feels a deep hatred for muggles, or non-magic people. The Dark Lord goes to the Chamber of Secrets, a chamber built within the magical school of Hogwarts by one of its founders, Salazar Slytherin. There, Riddle is spoken to by Slytherin's extremely large statue and is told about his destiny. Riddle then goes to find Trelawney, a seer, who goes into a trance and tells Riddle how he can find Grindelwald. He goes to Grindelwald to learn more of the Dark Arts and how to use Dark Magic, and discovers an interesting tidbit about his future.

_Glossary on last page._

Part VI: Visiting Grindelwald

A pale-skinned boy of ten and seven years

Looked out upon the bustling, cheery crowd.

The sun was beaming, warm and light and bright.

His face was cold and empty of emotion,

Shielded by a fog of occlumency,

The artful skill of hiding secret thoughts.

The Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore,

Peered, prying, critically at him

Over rims of thin black glasses. Tom

Marvolo Riddle, a tall and slender figure,

Hidden under mounds of sweeping cloaks,

Stared, impassive, blankly, in return.

For this was the end of seven years of Riddle's

Magical education. For it was there that Riddle

Had learned about the wonderful world of magic.

The cheering and screaming of his classmates brought

Him back to the present time. His classmates began

To leave, and people trickled out the large doors.

Before he left, Riddle knew he had

To go and see the Chamber of Secrets.

His cloak, behind, was billowing regally, as Riddle

Walked elegantly towards a beautiful

And intricately decorated sink.

The sink was decorated by extremely

Realistic snakes which ran across its surface.

He hissed in strange and low tones, using

The language of the snakes, Parseltongue,

Regarding the creamy porcelain snakes as

They squirmed and disappeared. The sink divided

Throughout the center separating to

The left and right, revealing inky blackness

Within a murky tunnel. He cast

A levitation spell upon himself,

And entered into a massive cavern bejeweled

By glittering gems and silver laced in complex

Designs. Jet-black marble, flecked with colored

And shining spots, coated the floor and roof.

The Dark Lord called out for the basilisk,

As he stood beside the enormous statue of

The dignified and greatly powerful

Founder Salazar Slytherin.

Obediently, Salazar the basilisk

Came slithering to Riddle and he curled

Around the area where Riddle stood,

Awaiting orders. Stroking Salazar

Fondly, Riddle bid his basilisk

Goodbye. Without a warning, Slytherin's statue

Became alive. It opened its stony mouth

To speak, and uttered words that etched

Themselves within The Dark Lord's mind.

"If my heir should ever cross this path,

I find a need to help explain his future,

The destiny that fate has planned for him.

Because of meddling wizards of the likes

Of my companions, who taught the art of magic

To filthy muggle-spawned beings,

Forever they will always taint the touch

Of magic, taking power from the pureblood

Lineage. So you, a true descendent of

Myself, have now been charged with the task

Of cleansing out the world of sullied blood.

You hold the great support of fate and fortune.

Success will easily be yours.

In order to begin your quest

You need to first find Grindelwald

For he can teach you what to do and how

To use your talent. You, my blood and kin

Need only visit Grindelwald's lair

In Germany. To find him what you have

To do is find destruction's trail.

Easily should you then be able to fin

The one you seek. However, hesitate

And you will fail. Once you find him let

Him know your plans and hear all he has to say.

With this, your very name shall soon be fear and

Respected. Heed my words and you will win."

But Riddle knew himself already what

He had to do. Before he left however,

He sought advice from someone talented,

Trelawney, witch with seeress blood who gave

A prophecy every now and then. When Riddle

Asked her what to do she told him,

"A great new reign begins, and it shall

Be brought by one who seeks the arcane magic,

The one who launches fear within the souls

Of pitiful, pathetic beings smearing

The world with filth, and all of those who stand

Beside them. He will sweep across the land,

And leave no life untouched. All will either

Join or die in the quest for purity."

--

Riddle searched for many days

And nights. He never tired, surviving

On pepper-up and nutrient potions.

Riddle had to find the master of

The Dark Arts to learn his skills and knowledge.

The English Ministry of Magic had

Attempted working along with Grindelwald

A few years prior—Grindelwald, at

That time, was merely an assassin. He would

Discreetly and quickly end a minister's life.

What England didn't notice 'till too late

Was Grindelwald's insertion of his men

Into opened slots so by the time

That England needed Grindelwald no longer,

Effectively he controlled Germany.

The Dark Lord wanted Grindelwald's years

And years of training in the Dark Arts.

He wanted knowledge, which Grindelwald could give him.

And thus, the Dark Lord wandered from one end of Germany to

Another, searching for traces of Grindelwald.

Finally, as one long month of searching

Came to a close, Riddle struck gold. He walked into

A wizarding pub coated with muggle-repelling spells.

He stepped inside, and saw small clusters

Of wizards and witches chattering and eating.

He thought that someone likely knew

Where Grindelwald resided. After

Attaining Grindelwald's location, Riddle

Prepared to leave and confidently breezed away.

--

A handsome man strode purposefully down

The street in odd robes and holding a branch,

Attracting curious stares wherever he went.

Filthy muggles watched the crazy boy as

He waved the stick around and clenched his hand in

Frustration moments later. The 'point me' spell

He used on Grindelwald was changing every cast.

But struck by insight, Riddle started brandishing

His wand in runic symbols forming red

And luminescent strands of magic in

The air, which meshed creating a web of light.

And with a slash of Riddle's yew-tree wand

The web of magic flew and disappeared

Seeking Grindelwald's presence.

--

Accompanied by a nearly silent pop,

The Dark Lord appeared outside

A large and menacing frosty manor. He stopped

Before an endless gleaming wired fence,

The fence was made completely out of bold

And striking lines which seemed to give off ominous

Extending tendrils of threatening magic.

The piece of fence that Riddle stood before

Began to bend and shift until it changed

Into a gate that stood about eleven meters high.

The gate was topped by soaring eagles staring

Suspiciously down upon him. Sniffing with

Contempt, Riddle commanded the gate to open.

Upon his entrance, Riddle's ears were

Assaulted by a multitude of unpleasant noises.

As Riddle walked across a large expanse of

Meticulously kept grass, he spotted many horrors.

Before he saw the cause of shrilly shrieking,

The scent of rotting corpses reached Lord Voldemort.

Inferi, the dead awoken, walked in hoards

To gather about Lord Voldemort, and Riddle shrank

Away, disgusted by their form. Inferi

Continue disintegrating even though

They move and have immunity towards most of

The types of magic. Riddle banished the corpses

With a swish and flick of flame that burst

Across the corpses' bodies. Breathing out

A sigh of both relief and disgust, Riddle

Continued walking only to find another

Attack upon his ears and eyes. Before him people

Were mercilessly being tortured

With many sorts of interesting and

Creative kinds of spells.

A dirty-looking

Man ran to Riddle, falling at his feet,

Begging and pleading with Riddle to help him.

The filthy man then promised loyalty

And life to Riddle, pledging to forever serve him.

Emotionlessly, Riddle cast

The cruciacius curse upon the man

Who had spoken out, which caused him to

Erupt into screams as he fell and writhed upon

The grimy ground. An eerie amusement flitted

Across of Riddle's face as Voldemort felt

The rush of power causing pain would always

Give him. Riddle held the curse there, waiting for

The man to limply fall unconscious. Then

He smiled pleasantly at the now unconscious

Man's companions and nodded his farewell.

A howl preceded a yowling werewolf which Riddle

Shredded with a simple spell. Quickly Voldemort

Became surrounded by a multitude

Of Dark Creatures. The werewolves Riddle killed

By blasting them with loud reductos. To rid

Himself of nasty, lumbering trolls, Riddle

Simply bound their feet together, causing them

To fall with large collapses, crushing their

Companions. Riddle's treatment of the giants

Was similar, but in order to destroy

The dementors, hooded skeletal beings

Who caused remembrance of bad memories and

Enjoyed consuming souls for food, Riddle

Could only cast expecto patronum, the Patronus

Charm. Beyond the trolls and giants and werewolves

And dark dementors, Cerberuses also

Attacked, as well as vampires dripping with blood.

He slashed his way across their ranks

With sectumsempra, cutting spell. Calmly,

He chanted out confringo, defodio,

Deprimo, evanesco and expulso.

The Dark Lord dispatched the monsters easily,

And Riddle went to speak to Grindelwald.

He tensed and shifted into a battling stance

When after stepping gracefully to his left,

He felt the whoosh of a knife where he had stood mere moments

Ago. Then Riddle waved his wand around

And shot out stunners in the place where he last saw

Whatever was there. He strained his eyes to see

If someone was present and let out a startled yelp

As glinting, silver knives immediately flashed

Before his face. Alerted, Riddle began

To plot how he could destroy whichever

Fearless imbecile dared attack him.

Whoever he was dueling likely was hiding

Or disillusioned, hiding under magic's shield.

The Dark Lord looked around suspiciously.

There were neat and tidy rows of bushes

And lines of blooming plants which formed

An odd pattern in the dirt, and

A narrow path crisscrossing through the area.

The Dark Lord stood in what appeared to be

A very well kept garden.

Swiftly Riddle took a step back when the hiss

Of sharpened knives slicing air alerted him

That something headed his way. Riddle wondered

Where the knives were coming from.

One moment from the left; the other from the right.

Deciding offensive would suit his purpose, Riddle

Shot an endless jet of spells hissed softly.

The several squeaks of distress from varying

Directions gave Riddle what he wanted to know.

Satisfied, Riddle smirked, feigning tripping,

Inviting someone to attack him. When

He heard a cutting spell that head his way,

He rolled and pointed his wand in the

Direction of the noise, and cast the

Imperius in their directions. Taking

Over his victim's mind, the Dark Lord

Commanded the person who attacked him

To locate then bring his comrades to

The center. As a scuffle broke out, Riddle

Conjured a massive metal cage which firmly

Dropped above the foolish attackers.

Without a single drop of remorse, Riddle

Did away with the lives of his attackers.

Lord Voldemort reached and opened up a massive

Silver-rimmed door. Upon his entrance Riddle saw that

The walls were painted deep and flawless blue,

The drapery was bronze, portraying completely

Ravenclaw colors. Riddle scoffed at

Grindelwald's display of house favoritism,

Preferring the green and silver tones of Slytherin.

The ground was coated with cold black marble

The ceiling a great, uninterrupted mirror.

The room was empty except for two massive

Stone tables. One had different sorts

Of knives and measuring tools tidily placed

On one side of the tables. The other

Had three gleaming pewter cauldrons. Riddle

Deduced that the room was used for potions making.

It was then that Riddle noticed smears

And streaks of blood that marred the elegant room.

Angry rusty reddish blotches bespeckling

The otherwise neat and orderly setting.

Disgusted by the soiled room, Riddle

Began to leave. But at that moment slow

But echoing clapping filled the rocky room.

A broadly-shouldered, slightly stocky man

With dirty blondish hair and bluish eyes

Who looked like one who had a bellowing laugh.

A rather largish Roman nose sat

Upon the middle of his face, joining

High-ish cheekbones and hollowed sockets.

His face was crinkled in a smile as he

Applauded Riddle's excellent work

In managing to find him alive.

Grindelwald, spotting Riddle, said to him,

"Very well done, Riddle. I didn't

Expect such greatness out of one so young.

It would not be wise to turn you away,

As you will make a much better ally than

An enemy. However, there is something I

Am sure that you would like to know. Riddle,

You are destined to be great. You

Were chosen to lead the world of magic into

A new era, bringing purity back to

The increasingly sullied world. I know that you

Have great potential. Your magic levels all

Are very high and Riddle, you show an abnormal

Amount of power. Add on a brilliant mind

And the perfect leader is created.

You must have heard your prophecies, the ones

That speak of Lord Voldemort's rise. It

Is now that someone such as you, a smart

And powerful leader , someone who can bring

The wizards back to purity. You personally

Hold a hatred toward muggles for

The simple reason that muggles were cruel to you.

The silly little ignorant muggles cause

A lot of trouble. First they meddle here

And there; then they have magic offspring.

The wizards and witches born of muggle parents

Know not of anything. Then we of solid

Ancestry will take them in and teach them,

Ungrateful people that they are will turn

And try to steal our power. After being

Taught by us the muggle offspring try

To earn themselves positions in the Ministry,

Complaining about the bigotry of purebloods.

And this is why they must be killed, for once

We teach them wizarding ways the muggleborn

Become a threat. If you can lead us out

Of failing misery, beginning yet

Another wonderful period, forever you

Will be remembered. As the one who ended

The messy times of muggle born and muggles

Who knew about the wizarding world. Dear boy,

You have a lot of great potential. You could

Likely learn to be as powerful

As Dumbledore. The trait that makes you better

Than he is willingness to sacrifice

And understanding means and ends. You know

The means can vary and that they do not matter

In themselves, and what is important are

The end results. You shall be the chosen

One to lead us out of darkness. You wish

To learn the Dark Arts. Created by

The powerful wizards—also witches—of

The time, the Dark Arts can never be

Forgotten, as they are history's magic lesson

To us. The problem with the Dark Arts is

The possibility of addiction to

The thrill and rush that power give you.

But if you give into temptation, no

One will be left to save the world.

But I am sure that you with all your power

Will not fall prey to the draws of Dark Magic,

For I can see the strength of magic emanating

From you already—surely dabbling in

The Dark Arts will not make you lose

Your head. But if you truly want me

To teach you first you have to understand

The dangers of Dark Magic. I will have

You know that the type of magic you, Riddle,

Would like to learn from me is always frowned

Upon for all the spells are used for combat.

History is never bloodless,

And Dark spells are a result of that.

For you I can begin teaching

The form of magic that you wish to learn.

However it is likely that your magic

Surpasses my own, and I will not be able

To help you after you progress a while.

When you are fully trained, you shall be a

Formidable opponent to anyone

Who goes against you, and a great ally

To anyone who sides beside you. Bring

The world to better times when you can."

Very gratefully Riddle thanked

The Dark Lord Grindelwald for offering both

Advice and aid for Grindelwald had seen

Potential in him and would tutor him.

Riddle told to Grindelwald a prophecy

About himself.

"The one who aims for greatness

Will stray from magic's natural path, taught

By one who has explored the realm of magic.

And when the orphan returns, all of his

Desires easily shall be fulfilled

For he will lead the noble ones to their

Return to their deserved superiority.

And quickly all will fear even his name,

And none will escape his vengeful wrath. The fools

That dare oppose him will be gone forever

Behind the whispering veil of ghosts and souls.

His second teacher will be killed by

His first, and he will hear the sickeningly

Sweet song of revenge.

His power never will know any bounds

And it will seek and find and destroy.

He will feel no fear to use the gifts

Bestowed upon him and forever he shall

Be written in the history books."

Above was the prophecy that Riddle recited

About himself, knowing that the future

Held him in high esteem and thinking he

Would not disappoint it. Riddle knew

How great he was. At Hogwarts Riddle always

Stood at the top of all his classes. Riddle

Was both Head Boy and Prefect,

And he was loved by all his teachers. No

One saw the real Riddle underneath,

The one who wanted vengeance for all the things

The muggles at the orphanage did to him.

And thus began Riddle's search for knowledge,

Which led him to Grindelwald's lair.

The Dark Lord Grindelwald's smile

Widened. Riddle's stance bespoke of confidence.

He firmly gripped his yew wand in his hand,

Yet looked relaxed and comfortably unthreatened.

His previous displays of power in the duels

Had proven Riddle to be quite adept

At using magic. Riddle had no qualms

Regarding killing or torturing, which

He couldn't have if he were truly to

Understand the Dark Arts. Riddle

Had demonstrated a sound mind as well

As sharp wits. Riddle would be the perfect student.

--

About a single year after Riddle's

Finding of Grindelwald, Riddle had

Returned to England. Only a couple weeks

Prior, Dumbledore had killed and defeated

Grindelwald in their final duel.

Because of Grindelwald's aid Riddle

Had the power that he did. Riddle

Had yet to repay the aid of Grindelwald

But never had a chance. Honoring

His teacher's memory, Riddle tried

To instigate his purging spree.

He begun by finding sympathizers, people

Who agreed with Riddle's notion that

All of those with impure blood were quite

Inferior. And in this way Voldemort began.

Riddle had been gathering followers.

He had developed a clever system

Of maintaining loyalty—

His followers, named the Death Eaters, would

Be branded with a tattoo of a skull with a snake

Intertwined, the Dark Mark. This would

Allow him firm control of all his minions.

Not only this, Riddle had begun

His infiltration of the Ministry

Of Magic, slipping followers into

Positions where they likely could gain influence.

And every week or so, Voldemort

Would raid muggle towns, racking up

High death tolls and frightening

The part of wizarding society

That had refused to join his cause.

After each and every attack the Dark

Mark would burn an eerie green in

The sky, inspiring fear within all folk.

The Dark Lord struck quickly and lethally

And muggleborns and half-bloods would

Often leave the world for that of death

Along with the occasional blood traitor.

Frequent deaths marred the tabloids,

And the wizarding world was in chaos.

The reign of Voldemort had begun.

Glossary:

Apparation: The magical practice of instant transportation.

Avada Kedavra: The killing spell. One of the three unforgivables—very dark arts.

Blood traitor: A pureblood who associates with those of impure blood. Derogatory term used by traditional purebloods.

Confringo: Blasting spell.

Dark Lord: Name used for Riddle by Voldemort's followers.

Death Eaters: Voldemort's followers.

Defodio: Gouging spell.

Dementors: A type of Dark Creature. Resembling a hooded skeleton, dementors cause an icy chill and the people around them to relive their worst memories. Dementors eat souls for food, and can be blocked only by the patronus charm. Are not really alive.

Deprimo: Blasting spell.

Dumbledore, Albus: The Transfiguration professor during Riddle's time at Hogwarts who later becomes headmaster. Had a childhood friendship with Grindelwald until Grindelwald turned dark, killed Grindelwald before Riddle's rise as Voldemort. The most powerful wizard of his time.

Evanesco: Vanishing spell.

Expulso: Explosion spell.

Grindelwald, Gelert: A Dark Lord who Riddle visited to learn from who was killed by Albus Dumbledore shortly before Voldemort's rise.

Gryffindor: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders. The House that prides bravery over all. Known to be a stiffly light-side house. Carries a deep rivalry with Slytherin.

Horcrux: A piece of a soul that has been ripped from the original through an act of murder and placed in an object.

Imperio: One of the three unforgivable spells. Allows mind control, but can be thrown off the strong-willed.

Imperius: Cast by saying 'imperio', allows caster to control the victim. One of the three unforgivables.

Inferi: Similar to zombies, inferi are the mindless but moving dead that obey the will of the one who raised them.

Legilimency: The magical skill of reading minds. See occlumency.

Ministry of Magic: Main wizarding governing branch.

Mudblood: A muggleborn wizard or witch.  
Crucio: One of the three unforgivables—the pain-causing curse. Prolonged exposure may result in permanent brain damage.

Occlumency: The magical skill of shielding the mind. See legilimency.

Parseltongue: The language of the snakes. Salazar Slytherin, Tom Riddle, and Harry

Potter possess the ability to speak it. Slytherin and Riddle by blood, Potter by the Riddle's failed attempt to kill him.

Patronus: Performed with "expecto patronum", it is cast by the recalling of a happy memory and drives off dementors.

Pepper Up Potion: A potion that is the wizarding equivalent of coffee.

Ravenclaw: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the founders. The House that prides intellect and learning.

Reducto: Blasting and banishing spell.

Salazar Slytherin: One of the four founders of Hogwarts—known for pureblood prejudices and one of the most famous parseltongue speakers. Riddle's ancestor.

Scourgify: Cleaning spell.

Sectumsempra: Cutting spell.

Slytherin: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts, named after Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders. The House that prides cunning and ambition. Also known as the conservative, pureblood, dark-arts house. Carries a deep rivalry with Gryffindor.

Voldemort: A name Tom Riddle came up with for himself due to his wish to rid himself of his muggle father's name.


End file.
